dkl.., dried meat with paper towel, covered with flour , salt and pepper before sauteeing. used only 4 cups of beef broth ..no water. boiled potatoes and carrots for about 15 mins before adding back to the stew. instead of using a strainer, I took meat out with a tong before pureeing the veggies in cuisinart. cooked for 4 1/2 hours in total. didn't need to thicken. delicious!!
Anonymous
ny ny
2/13/2022
I have been making this for years. A couple things I do that have made it even better. I don't use water only beef broth. Before time to bring out of oven (1st time) I pre cook additional potatoes and carrots (for like 15 minutes it takes too long to cook if you put them in raw then the meet gets too done) when it is time to remove from oven the first time I pull the onion, celery, and carrots and puree then put back into the gravy. Remove thyme and bay leaves add the drained pre cooked potatoes and carrots remove top and bake about 30 minutes
BGuest1
Green Valley, Arizona
10/20/2020
Delicious. But found the recipe a bit confusing in terms of when to add the carrots and potatoes at the end. Left the pot on the stove simmering for over an hour and the carrots still didn't cook thoroughly. I would modify it the next time and include them in the braising portion. But overall, the taste is delicious!
ronmarvin8134
New York
3/24/2020
Thank you to all the reviewers who suggested pureeing the cooking veggies and flouring the beef before browning. I used your tips and followed the remained of the recipe exactly. Well worth the time to develop a deep brown on all sides of the beef cubes. Wonderful flavorful recipe. Great to make ahead then just reheat for dinner with friends on a cold evening!
marinjks
Mill Valley CA
1/19/2020
Great stew recipe. Its worth all the time and fuss. I'm having a small dinner party in a few weeks, and I'm making this cause its a cold weather winner!!
mgarreola
Union City, California
10/18/2019
Way to flavorless and acidic for our taste. Hence I rate it 1 fork.
amymg97
Sparks,NV
2/7/2019
Absolutely one of my favorite recipes. The flavor of the broth is something you think about long after you’ve finished the meal. Only as time intensive as you want it to be - Usually don’t seer beef or vegetables as long as called for but always cook in oven for entire time - consistently turns out great. Family and guests love this meal!
lesliegardiner73
Northern Michigan
12/1/2018
Wow! Everyone was impressed with the rich flavor and tender meat. I used both beef stew meat and venison. I only needed to leave it in the oven for 2 hours. Large dutch oven was perfect pot to cook and bake. Makes a huge pot of stew, and you must allow plenty of time to make it, and yes, use a whole bottle of wine!
Anonymous
Okeana, OH
10/15/2018
We love this stew. The addition of the balsamic vinegar is a real plus. I did modify it...following the directions until cover and braise - instead I put all of the ingredients into my Instant Pot and cooked it for 35 minutes (after it reached temperature). The potatoes were still firm and flavorful and the meat was so tender. My guests LOVED it and asked for the recipe - always a good sign. And, yes it is better the 2nd day.
greggjmacy5759
Lake Oswego, OR
9/17/2018
Truly. The best dish I’ve ever made! Highly addictive and intoxicating even without an accompanying glass of wine. You will finish your meal and ask yourself if you can have more. You will go to bed thinking about it. You will ask yourself in the morning if there’s any chance that you can have it for a ‘healthy’ breakfast. It’s this good!Much debate in my kitchen (between my hubby & I) during Step 2, the brown meat stage. I deeply seared the meat (per Julia Child’s beef bourguignon method) which took a full 45 minutes, not overcrowding in the pan (some of the meat was cooked through) as my goal was a deep sear and brown bits in the pan. The goal for Step 3, browning of the veggies (celery, onion, carrots, ex-large head of garlic) is more so a development of a deep brown, luscious crust on the bottom of the pan. (Use MEDIUM HEAT, don’t burn!) Don’t worry if the veggies don’t caramelize per say as their sweetness will meld into base of sauce during cooking. I used large quantities of veggies for this step – volume was 6-8 cups raw veggies.Be certain to REDUCE the sauce by 2/3rds and cook full 12 minutes in Step 6 (wine and herbs step) as this fully develops the dish flavors. (Taste this each minute during the last 3-4 minutes to see how amazingly well the flavor develops minute by minute!)This dish is all about the techniques used for each step! Take your time!I cooked this dish (beginning to end) in a Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven for 2 hours at 325-30 degrees (I’ve found that the cast iron dutch oven can overheat at 350 degrees in oven), then removed veggies and added meat back in with new veggies for 40 minutes cooking time. Only remove lid for this second cooking time if you’d like to thicken/deepen flavors.To my surprise, an inexpensive Trader Joe’s Black Mountain Cabernet - $5-6 per bottle was used with tremendous results!Next time I will try browning the beef using Serious Eats Chef J Kenji Lopez technique from article “Stew Science: What’s the Best Way to Brown Beef?” which keeps beef in one piece for the sear/browning step, and then you cut into cubes to add to stew. This should save time!
AndiChicago
Chicago, IL
1/25/2018
I've made it several times. Changing and experimenting.Follow the directions, but add extra carrots and potatoes.I remove the additional veggies, place them in a food processor. Then, I add the new, thick flavor back into the stew.All if this is completed the day before I serve it.The next day, I bring the pot to room temperature, and put it in the oven at 350 for about an hour to heat.The flavor is devine.Served with hot bread, a deep, red wine, and great friends.Bring on winter.😏Enjoy!
nfldnfld
Newfoundland, Canada
12/31/2017
This is my go to stew recipe. My son didn't like all the different things in stew. It grossed him out so this was perfect. Plus we're gluten free so this is a great recipe and turns out every time.
jpatterson113
Ontario
11/24/2017
I made this with Venison instead of beef. Dredged the meat in flour, but followed all the steps, and it came out great. Might try putting all the veggies in and leaving them next time.
roblehnert
Long Island, NY
11/4/2017
There are A LOT of problems with this recipe. For one is says "the secret" is using a whole bottle of wine, but then it tells you that you should have 3 ¾ Cups of wine whereas a whole bottle is really only about 3 cups, so the balance is already off. Next there is not nearly enough liquid to "cover" the vegetables, so adding more broth (I needed a cup) now diminishes the wine ratio by about half. Directions are also a nightmare. Recipe is never really clear as to WHEN to add the potatoes and carrots, during the last 40 minutes of the 2 ½ hours? Or later? Really inexcusable for the recipe to be this poorly written, its the lowest rating I've ever given, will also need much more salt, and depending how good your balsamic vinegar-could change the recipe utterly. I may give just one fork
ju1244
Beverly Hills, CA
10/14/2017
This was a lot of work and it was good but not great. Not the best stew I've ever had ... but it has good bones.
Anonymous
No. Virginia
1/31/2017
